Combined telephone-receiver and circuit-breaker



(No Model.)

W. H.- ECKERT, J. A. SEELY & E. A. EOKERT. COMBINED TELEPHONE RECEIVERAND CIRCUIT BREAKER.

No. 313,409. Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

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UNTTnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

XVILLIAM H. EOKERT, JOHN A.'SEELY, AND EDWARD A. EOKERT, OF GIN-OINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN BELL TELEPHONE COM- PANY, OFBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMBINED TELEPHONE-RECEIVER AND CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,409, dated March 3,1885.

I Application filed April 21, 1882. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. ECKERT, JOHN A. SEELY, and EDWARD A.EOKERT, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in a Combined Telephonic Receiverand Circuit-Breaker, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification and accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 isa central longitudinal sectional View of a telephone equipped with theimproved circuit-breaker, and Fig. 2 is a perspective elevation of theequipment for the mouth of the telephone and the movable plate formaking and breaking the circuit.

The object of our present invention is to provide a telephone ortelephonic receiver with switching mechanism so arranged that when theoperator desires to use the instrument he places the mouth of thetelephone to his ear in the usual manner and presses against it, whichmotion automatically throws the telephone, transmitter, and battery intothe circuit, as will be now fully set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents the bodyof thetelephonic receiver, made in the ordinary manner, and having fourbinding-posts, B O D E, at the lower end, instead of only two, as nowusually constructed. F G represent upper and lower disks, somewhatlarger in diameter than the head A of the telephone. The upper disk, G,has an aperture, G, or central opening, which permits the flaring mouthH of the telephone to 5 pass through. Thus the disk G rests on the headA of the telephone. The lower disk, F, has also a central aperture oropening, F, and is slipped over the telephone from the lower end andbrought up against the under side of the head A. The two disks F G areheld rigidly to each other by means of the brackets I, four or more ofwhich are employed for this purpose.

It is obvious that various modifications of these disks may be made.Thus the head A The only object of these disks is to provide a supportfor the movable headpiece K, which will now be described. The disk K ismade as large in diameter as the disks F G beneath, and has a centralaperture, K. Centrally it is depressed, and the outer edge of the diskis also preferably bent or curved, so that the car of the operator willrest in the aperture without inconvenience when in use.

J J represent legs, which pass through the disks F G, and are verticallymovable therein. The legs or rods project above the upper disk, G, asuitable distance, and the head-disk K is-permanently secured to theserods or legs J. Springs L on the rods J are interposed between the disksG K, and the lower ends of the rods J are provided with pins M, whichrest against the under side of the lower disk, F, to prevent the rodsfrom coming out, and also to limit the distance that the springs'L maymove the head-disk K from the upper stationary disk, G.

It is obvious that the lower ends of rods J may be provided with nuts toanswer this same purpose.

It will be noted that if pressure is exerted downwardly on the disk K itwill move toward 7 5 the stationary disk G. The disk K may beoof anyother shape to accomplish the same purpose. In fact any form willanswer, so long as it is adapted to be moved to and from the telephoneby pressure against the ear or head of the operator.

On the upper face of the upper stationary disk, G, at one side, are tworight-angle springs, N N, secured thereto by screws or bindingposts 0 O.The upturned ends of these springs abut each other, as shown.

On the under side of the movable disk K, directly above the uptu rnedends ofthese springs N N, is a wedge-shaped button, P, which projectsdown between the two upturned ends P of the springs N N. This button inthe present instance is composed of insulating material. It maybe madeof conducting material if the springs N N are so arranged that when themovable disk K is in the normal position the button forms the connectionbetween the two springs N N. In this latter case the connection betweenthe springs N N would be broken when the disk K is moved toward thestationary disk G. As shown in the present drawings, however, the ends Pare connected atall times except when the disk K is moved downwardly,causing the Wedge P to separate the ends 1?, and thereby break theconnection. The spring N has an upwardcurved extension, Q, which forms acontact with the downwardly-curved spring R, attached to the under sideof the movable disk K. When the disk K is at its highest limit, there isno contact between the springs Q R, but when the disk is pressed towardthe stationary disk G contact is made by a rubbing connection, whichkeeps the contactpoints at all times bright. This is also true of thewedge-shaped-button circuit-breaker between the springs N N.

Referring now to the circuit-connections, it will be seen how the deviceis manipulated.

S is the line-wire attached to the bindingpost B. T is the wire whichconducts the circuit from binding-post B to spring N U, the wire fromthe opposite-spring, N, to bindingpost 0 and to the ground; V, the wireconnecting spring R and helix; WV, the wire connecting helix with thebinding post D, which 'leads to the transmitter and battery, and X wirefrom battery-post E to spring N on permanent disk G.

The operation is as follows: When the telephone is not in use, it is notdesirable to permit the current to pass through the telephone,transmitter, and battery. The current, therefore, in this inventionproceeds from the linewire through wire T, springs N N, and wire U tothe ground. WVhen the operator wishes to use the instrument, he graspsit in the ordinary manner and places the mouth of it against his ear,pressing it slightly, so as to cause the wedge-shaped button P to breakthe contact between the ends 1?, and at the same time to establish aconnection between the upturned end Q and spring R. The current,therefore, passes up the wire T to binding-post O, thence to spring Bthrough wire V to helix, from helix through wire W to the transmitter,

thence to the battery, and up to binding-post E, and through wire X andwire U to the ground.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a telephone station apparatus, of a switchconsisting of a movable plate carried by the receiver and supported infront of the ear-piece thereof, and contacts and connections arranged sothat said switch is shifted to connect in the telephone apparatus byapplication of said receiver to the ear, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a receiving-telephone, of a movable switch orplate supported in front of the ear-piece thereof, and means, such as aspring, for holding said switch in position to cut out the telephoneuntil shifted by pressure, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a telephone-station apparatus comprising areceiver, transmitter, battery, and electrical connections therefor, ofa switch carried by the receiver in front of the ear-piece, so as to beoperated by the pressure thereof to the ear to connect in said telephoneapparatus, and a spring for returning the switch to its normal positionwhen the pressure is relaxed, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a telephone-station apparatus comprising areceiver, transmitter, and battery in one branch, and signal apparatusin another branch, of a switch carried by the receiver and supported infront of the earpiece thereof, so as to be operated by the applicationthereof to the ear for transferring the main line from one branch to theother, substantially as described.

5. A telephone-receiver having over or on the mouth thereof a movableplate, disk, or its equivalent, as shown, connected with suitablemechanism whereby the receiver, transmitter, and battery may be thrownin or out of the circuit, substantially as and for the purpose hereinset forth.

6. The combination, with a telephonestation apparatus comprising areceiver, transmitter, battery, and electrical connections therefor, ofa movable plate supported at the head of the receiver and adapted to bedepressed by the pressure of the receiver against the car, a spring forrestoring said plate to its normal position, electrical contacts on saidplate, and corresponding contacts on the receiver, whereby thedepression of the plate connects the said telephone apparatus incircuit, substantially as described.

7. The within-described permanent disks F G, having the centralapertures, F G, secured on the head A of a telephone, and provided withthe movable disk K, legs J, and springs L, in combination with atelephonic receiver, substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

8. A telephone-receiver having a movable head, plate, or disk, K, asshown, provided with the wedge-button P and curved spring R, and thecontact-springs N N Q on the permanent disk G, with the telephone A,having within the connecting-wires T U V W X, substantially as hereinset forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing w have hereunto set our hands,this 18th day of April, 1882, in the presence of witnesses.

WVM. H. ECKERT. JOHN A. SEELY. EDWARD A. ECKERT. Witnesses:

O. J. BAILEY, J. S. ZERBE.

